The four core values of Tabor’s mission statement give context to the most recent change in the school exam schedule, especially the first value: To inspire a life-long love of learning.
This school year marks the first in which Tabor will take on a new mid-year assessment format. Rather than have three-hour exams for each major course, teachers will design projects for the students to complete, which will count for a large percentage of their semester grade, but will not be worth as much as the previous mid-term exams.
Eileen Marceau, Tabor’s new dean of studies, has helped implement this new system, which has been in the works over the past few months. The faculty often evaluates the way in which they educate and the systems that are used. The conversation about eliminating exams began when the simple question was raised: How and why do we assess?
Many department chairs saw the elimination of mid-term exams as an opportunity for more class time. In the past, two weeks were dedicated to exam review and exams. With an already short independent school calendar, this extra class time would be very valuable.
Marceau says that the new projects are intended to be “more real-world focused.” She points out that other independent schools do not have mid-term exams and that Tabor is in many ways “modernizing” their system by making learning more “authentic.”
The goal of these projects is to allow students to apply what they learn rather than cram and memorize facts that they would be able to access in the real world given modern technology.
Marceau hopes that this process will help make students excited about what they are learning. She points out Tabor’s core value: To inspire a life-long love of learning.
“Who loves to sit down and take a three-hour test?” said Marceau. “[Students should] be excited to use their knowledge in a context that feels real.”
She referred to Tabor’s new computer science class as an example.
A student has designed his own video game and is creating something from the knowledge that is acquired in the classroom. Most importantly, the computer science students are enjoying doing so. This format of projects will allow the passions of students and teachers alike to “shine through more in the classroom,” as Marceau put it.
At the end of the year, students will still take final exams. As a preparatory school, Tabor Academy aims to prepare students for college. A combination of final exams and mid-year projects is perhaps the best way to prepare students for higher education in which both formats of assessment will be required of them.
The system is still “a work in progress,” according to Marceau. Projects are more difficult for math and science teachers in comparison to humanities courses and Advanced Placement (AP) teachers gave “mock AP” tests as mid-year exams in the past. The change will force the teachers to think creatively about how to approach the new system.
As far as the community’s reaction, Marceau recognizes that “any kind of change is hard.” She sees it as a “mixed bag of opinions,” but it may be too soon to tell.
Marceau is confident that as the system develops and evolves, “public opinion will evolve as well.”
By Julia O’Rourke
